I Gave You Everything
by Kawaii-Hime-Ceres
Summary: Shipping: Pride, Puzzle, Rival, Flare. "It's better this way," Yuugi put on the bravest face he could and smiled for his dark.  "After all I gave you everything and I wouldn't want to be the one to take it away from you." Terrible at summary's. Please R&R
1. I Gave You Everything

(Surprise gift fic for my friend DragonLady222. It was going to be a one shot but apparently this fic had other ideas. Thus, to not spill all the beans at once I left some parts a mystery. You'll see it all come together down the road. The majority of this fic is Prideshipping. There will be little hints here and there of Puzzleshipping. If I get gutsy I may do a bit of Flareshipping. Yes, that means that the main characters are Yuugi, Yami, and Seto. Enjoy. :D Please read and review.)

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><p>Yuugi angrily, repeatedly pounded his fists against Yami's chest. His own body racked by pain, his chest involuntarily heaving from the exertion. His eyes blood shot, and his cheeks puffy and tear stained. "I gave you everything," he managed to say between gasps. He knew his dignity was gone in this childish display- after all; he was in the middle of the street. His knees buckling and his legs finally giving out made him look up at Yami, naturally he glanced over at Seto the other offending party. He tore himself away and forced himself to look at the ground. The next second he looked up, they had already turned around to walk away. The entire situation remaining wordless.<p>

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><p><strong>Eleven Months Later<strong>

Yuugi poked the ice cubes with his straw. He watched as he forcefully made the cubes sink and then on their own accord rise to the top. His mind kept wondering back to that day. After such a childish display, he did his best to support his darker half. However, to ease the hurt it caused he did it from a distance. Knowing the inevitable was quickly approaching he had asked Yami to meet him here.

Yami stepped into the café it was small and thus he had no trouble spotting Yuugi. Simply here upon Yuugi's request, he did not bother ordering anything; he was not hungry or thirsty. After a brief walk to the far back, right corner he scooted into the booth seat opposite of Yuugi. He felt he at least owned his light this much; he was after all supporting him even if at afar.

The sound of rustling fabric roused Yuugi from his musing. "Thank you." He looked up and gave Yami the smallest of smiles. It was extremely hard to look at him, especially in the eyes. It made his heart feel crushed all over again. He sighed softly as he pushed the water glass and empty plate off to the side.

"No problem," Yami's voice was monotone. He could not help but to notice Yuugi's disheveled state, he looked twice as bad as the day he had 'crushed his heart'. He still felt twisted up inside for his 'betrayal'. Nevertheless, as Yuugi had later put it after calming down, trust our hearts to make choices of love for us and it is never the most logical choice.

"I just wanted to say goodbye," Yuugi whispered softly. If the café has been any fuller or nosier he would have not been heard. He gripped his chest as he felt a sharp pain run through the length of him. After holding up his other hand to stop Yami from helping him, he gasped for air.

Yami gritted his teeth as he resettled himself. He did not understand Yuugi's game. To take his focus off his light he looked over at the empty plate. "Goodbye?" He asked after a couple deep breaths to calm himself down.

"I want to be at peace when I fade away." Yuugi did not know any other way to put it. He scooted himself to the end of the booth seat and stood up. It was as if the walls were closing in on him. He could not stay any longer. Tears collected in the corners of his eyes. He had not expected this to be so difficult.

"Yuugi," Yami's voice was louder than he intended. He followed suit and stood up himself. It was apparent that Yuugi was in silent agreement of not wanting to be here. What he did not understand was all the 'riddles'. "Let me walk you home," he felt compelled to offer. After all given his lights present condition he would feel twice as bad if something where to happen to Yuugi while he was not around.

Yuugi shook his head. "It's better this way," he put on the bravest face he could and smiled for his dark. "After all I gave you everything and I wouldn't want to be the one to take it away from you." The second he was outside of the café, he took off down the street. He did not care about how bad it hurt his body. He just had to get away.

Yami was the one left behind this time- to watch a retreating form.

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><p>Yami stared out the window of the limousine. Half an hour with Yuugi and he was a mindless mess. He could not go home just yet; first, they had to pick up Seto from work. He just hoped that his boyfriend would be finished and ready to go when they got there. The last thing he wanted to do was hang around waiting so that his mind could fall further into the darkness.<p>

Shortly after the limo arrived, Seto was getting in. First thing, he noticed as Yami's darkened demeanor. "Yami," he whispered as he laid a hand on Yami's shoulder. He knew that he was meeting up with Yuugi today and from the looks of it the meeting did not go well.

Yami blinked a couple of times to find a set of brilliant blue eyes staring at him. His lover's eyes held a look of concern. He reached out and caressed his cheek. "How was your day?" He leaned forward and kissed him softly.

"Typical," Seto mumbled against Yami's lips. "How did things go with Yuugi?" That boy was a touchy subject all the way around, a bottled up brew of chaos waiting to be unleashed. They both knew that Yami's mirror was keeping something from them, something that everyone else knew.

"He told me goodbye," Yami mumbled. He really did not want to say it because that would mean admitting to hearing what his light had said to him. He fisted the material of his pants. "From what I gather he's either gravely ill or already on the threshold of death."

Seto tried to mask the look of shock but it was futile. "Then why isn't he at the hospital trying to get better?" He growled. For all the sappy bullshit that pip squeak spouted, he was not taking in an ounce of his own advice.

"Maybe he already has. Maybe he hasn't. I don't know. He really wasn't saying all that much." Yami sighed. He was still thoroughly confused about the entire mater. "But he made it clear that things are better off this way."

Seto put his hand on top of Yami's and tried to ease him, even if just a little. "Frankly I don't give a rat's ass what Yuugi wants. If he really is dying then the animosity between you two needs to be resolved. Don't tell me there isn't none. He may support you… us, but it's still there. You aren't even really friends anymore," he looked away from Yami. He knew he played a large part in all of this.

Yami just nodded his head. He really did not have anything further to say.


	2. I Insist

(Surprise gift fic for my friend DragonLady222. The majority of this fic is Prideshipping. There will be little hints here and there of Puzzleshipping. If I get gutsy I may do a bit of Flareshipping. Yes, that means that the main characters are Yuugi, Yami, and Seto. Enjoy. :D Please read and review.

My Beta CrowNoYami is a bit swamped at the moment but as soon as she finishes you'll have the edited version. For now enjoy the 'raw' version.)

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><p>Seto had not originally intended to go tracking Yuugi down, however, here he was. He blamed Yami. Yami did not have the balls to confront Yuugi again to find out exactly what was going on; he used the excuse of respecting his lights wishes. He took it for what it was worth, a load of horseshit. He glanced out the window and saw the game shop come into view.<p>

Yuugi was working on closing up the game shop when he saw the limo come to a stop at the curbing. He rolled his eyes and sighed. He did not normally take care of the shop but his grandpa had had something he needed to do, so naturally he volunteered. Why did the jerk have to show up on today? What about those others days, the days he was not around. "I'm sorry but we're closed," he said when Seto was about five steps from the door.

Seto smirked, as if amused by the fact of the store being closed, yet remaining open just long enough for him. "Not here for the trinkets," he retorted. "But, I would appreciate if you would invite me in." He could be a very forceful person when he wanted to be, but having prior knowledge of Yuugi being 'frail', he was refraining.

"I don't have much of a choice do I," Yuugi mumbled as he opened the door just wide enough to let Seto inside the shop. Once the man was inside, he proceeded to lock the doors and close the blinds. When the other was ready to see himself out, he could go through the 'house' exit.

Seto waited patiently for the other to finish what he had started. It was only fair, considering that he had interrupted him. Not to mention he knew what it was like to 'just be done with work' for the day.

"Would you like something to drink?" Yuugi asked he led them upstairs. He had plans on sitting on the sofa this evening and watching TV, alone. Apparently, Seto had other ideas. What he wanted to know was what had sparked the CEO's interest in him- he did not game anymore. He could probably blame Yami for this one.

"A glass of water please." Seto did not follow Yuugi to the kitchen; instead, he detoured to the living room. He made himself comfortable on the love seat facing the TV.

"Here you go," Yuugi said as he handed Seto the glass. He then proceeded towards the corner where there was a recliner. It was more comfortable in his opinion than the rest of the furniture. Not to mention, it was also furthest away from the CEO. "Why are you here?"

"Thank you," Seto said as he accepted the glass. He watched as Yuugi curled up in the recliner with cat like grace. "I'm here because I want to know what you are keeping from Yami." He idly drummed his fingers on the glass.

"You both took advantage of me, stole my innocence. And you know what takes the cake?" Yuugi paused for a moment. "I cannot remember any of it." He refused to look weak, he refused to cry- he had done enough of that. "The person I trusted the most betrayed me. In complete faith, I gave my body to him to control so that he could protect us. Never once did he mention the two of you until after he had a body," Yuugi glanced over at Seto. "Secrets and lies is what our relationship was built on. So, I don't owe it to you or Yami to spill my secrets," his eyes narrowed. Anger was something he rarely showed. "If that is why you came then I think it is time for you to leave."

Seto clenched his free hand into a fist. Every bit of what Yuugi had said in one way or another was the truth. Neither of them had been honest with the smaller of them. He knew all too well about taking advantage of situations, he did it often. Still some parts of him wanted to retaliate and argue back, to fight to prove his point of view. He stood up not wanting to anger the boy further. He felt in some small way that he had failed to accomplish what he had set out to do. "Why do you say you gave Yami everything?" It nagged him, haunted him even.

Yuugi sighed and slumped in the chair. "I cannot tell you Seto," he said firmly. He knew Seto knew how to manipulate situations, and that he was going to ask until he got the information he wanted. To avoid looking at the towering figure he looked towards the bookshelf. "I won't ruin Yami's life. I refuse."

"Ruin his life? How?" Seto perplexed sat back down. He was sure Yuugi let that last bit slip, whether it was intentional or not he did not know and almost did not care. So long as he got the prize- the information, he sought.

"I unknowingly forfeited my life so that he could live," Yuugi said as he stood up and headed towards the bedroom. He had said way too much, and he was certain all of it would get back to Yami one way or another. He sighed softly because that is exactly what he was trying to avoid. "Now please go." He wanted to be left alone.

Seto reached out as quickly as he could to catch Yuugi's hand. What he got instead was a graze of fingertips to fingertips. "Unknowingly?" How could no one know what he or she was doing when it came to something like this? For being a smart man, he was completely blind to the entire picture.

"You will say nothing to Yami." Yuugi felt the soft, brief touch and stopped. He looked over his shoulder at Seto. "It was king against king. I was destined to win because it was time for his soul to rest. Like anyone in love, you are willing to go to extreme measures to keep what you love. He will not remember that I went in his place. I went so that I could bargain his freedom, play one last game. So certain was I that I agreed to their game without second thought. To win meant that we both were allowed to remain as two separate people. To lose meant that I forfeited my life so that he could get to keep his. I guess I agreed to it because deep down in my gut I just knew that knowing no matter what happened he would be happy. I really did not care if it was with me or not so long as he was happy. You won."

Seto looked like a deer caught in the beam of headlights. What Yuugi had said that day they had told him the truth about their relationship made sense. Everything fell into place. Even though he should not have, he questioned his love for Yami. Yuugi had sacrificed far more than he ever could. There was no way he could fix this because you could not make people fall in love. "If you loved him so much why didn't you fight for him? Why did you give up so easily?" He was trying to make himself feel better by making Yuugi look bad once again.

Yuugi turned and faced Seto. "Why would I fight you when you clearly had already won? If I had fought for him, I would have destroyed his happiness in the process because I would have made him doubt his choice to love you. His happiness is the most important thing to me is."

"You're sacrifice may bring him some happiness but your death will bring him sorrow. He is still going to have to face both sides of the coin." He reached out, gripped Yuugi's shoulders, and shook him out of anger. It was as if he was trying to force some sense into the boy. "No matter how hard you try he is still going to feel it," he raised his voice. This trip was not going at all as he had planned for it to.

The more Seto shook Yuugi the tighter he clutched at his chest. He was struggling to breathe. Holding on to life these days was getting harder and harder and the taller of the two was not helping any. "What exactly am I suppose to fucking do?"

"Fight to fucking live!" So that he would not punch Yuugi, Seto instead punched the nearest wall. With the hand that had just punched the wall, he used it to support himself. The other hand clutched his chest. His breathing erratic and he was starting to get dizzy.

Yuugi leaned against the wall before sliding down it. He just did not have it in him to support himself anymore. "It's too late," he looked up at the ceiling as tears started to fall. "Why couldn't you have just left things alone?"

"I love him! I really think that this childishness of you running away is ridiculous. Just man up and tell him what the fuck you did and what the fuck is going to happen. Even if he doesn't love you and you die at least you both will be at peace because you'll both be friends again." Seto held out his hand so that he could help him back up onto his feet.

"You won't leave me alone until then will you?" Yuugi asked as he accepted Seto's hand. It took a bit of work but soon he was standing on shaky legs. "And, what will you do if he falls in love with me?" He asked.

"This game of win or lose between us is no longer about us it is about Yami. He stands to lose the most no matter the outcome unless we all learn to get along." Seto could not really explain his out of character generosity other than it was his love for Yami. "We'll learn to love each other because we both love him."

However odd the words were that came out of Seto's mouth he tried not to give any strange looks. He could tell Seto was trying to be sincere and show genuine concern. He also took notice that Seto seemed to have a solution for this fucked up situation, a solution that could very well keep him alive as long as it did not back fire. If it did, he would not mind so long as Yami was happy.

"Pack your things. You'll be staying with us." Seto said after a moment of silence.


	3. I'll Tell It Like I See It

(Surprise gift fic for my friend DragonLady222. The majority of this fic is Prideshipping. There will be little hints here and there of Puzzleshipping. If I get gutsy I may do a bit of Flareshipping. Yes, that means that the main characters are Yuugi, Yami, and Seto. Enjoy. :D Please read and review.

My Beta CrowNoYami is a bit swamped at the moment but as soon as she finishes you'll have the edited version. For now enjoy the 'raw' version.)

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><p>"Seto?" Yami 's silent question hidden by a single name could be figured out by the direction of his glance. A good couple of steps behind Seto was Yuugi wearing a backpack and following him was a rolling suitcase. The smaller of the two looked reluctant almost lost.<p>

"We are going to give him a reason to live," Seto whispered into his boyfriend's ear before kissing him gently on the lips. He glanced over his shoulder and noticed how hard of a time Yuugi was having with just a couple of bags, he motioned for his hired help to help the boy get his things inside. "Besides we owe him this much."

"Reason? Owe him?" Yami mumbled into the kiss. Assuming this was a sensitive and probably complicated topic he did not expect to get an answer with Yuugi being almost right on top of them. He sighed softly, stepped away from his lover, and smiled towards Yuugi, "hello."

"You don't have to stop on my account," Yuugi said in between breaths as he dragged himself into the house. He had a feeling that with the size of this place he was not going to be going much of anywhere, he was going to be in his room an awful lot- not that he would complain because he actually preferred to be left alone.

Seto and Yami both exchanged a sort glance towards one another before looking at Yuugi.

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><p>The rooms of the mansion left little to be desired each having a balcony and an adjoining bathroom. All it was missing was a mini kitchen. The beds were king sized, and there were enough dresser drawers to stuff a month's worth of clothes in them and not need to do laundry until they were completely empty- given you had that much stuff to wear. The bathrooms having a double sink and a large walk in shower with two spray heads and seating.<p>

Yuugi leaned forward and propped himself on the railing of the balcony. The sun was just starting to set but that was not what his attention was focused on. He was focused on nothing in particular, he was just zoning out like he often did these days.

"I made you promise me to grant me a final request if I beat you," Yuugi said softly when he heard approaching footsteps. He knew the owner without having to look. "You said it was the least you could do after all I had helped you accomplish." This was as good a time as any to let Yami know what he had just told Seto.

Yami wanted to ask why he did not know any of this but decided it was best to remain quiet while Yuugi finished what he had to say. Instead of moving to stand beside his light, he remained in the doorway.

"My request was to allow me to take your place." Yuugi laid his head on his arms. He pose was awkward but he was comfortable. He continued to look off into the distance, but nowhere in particular. "You having lost and to your dismay of my choice in requests you had no other option but to grant me my request."

Yami took a couple steps into the room. Yuugi was becoming even softer spoken, perhaps it was the way he was positioned that made his voice seem this way. He really wanted to hear what he had to say but at the same time.

"I did not go in your place with intentions of taking your place. I actually went because I wanted to play one last game. This would be the game that would trump them all- mean the most to me. I wanted to give you a physical form because I had fallen in love with you and wanted no other but you. I couldn't live without you." Not that Yami could see them but fresh tears were forming in the corner of his eyes.

By the time Yuugi had said, "live without you." Yami was at the doors that led to the balcony. Suddenly it was as if somewhere between them was a white elephant, an unspeakable subject. Yet here was Yuugi doing his best to unveil a truth that the other had no recollection of.

"I thought you felt the same," Yugi sighed as he turned his head just slightly so he could see Yami out of the corner of his eye. "Being that sure of myself and my feelings made accepting the terms of loss easier. I saw this as an easy win- one that would be won over my victory celebration for beating you. However, that celebration never happened," he paused momentarily as he watched Yami come to stand beside him. "I watched as you took steps towards us thinking they were for me but those steps were for Seto. You leaned up against him, and threw your arms around his neck. Seconds later you two were engaged in a well practiced kiss," tears slide down his face. "After my small fit I watched you two walk out of my life. Well that is how I saw it."

Yami was realizing now just how much Seto already knew. He was guessing it was something he had just learned today and that is why he had brought him back to the mansion. The few statements of owing him and giving him reason all made sense now. He did not want to lose his light nor did he want to lose the love of his life. He felt guilt and sorrow creep through him.

"Had I known that you loved Seto, I would still have done this for you. Although, I may have thought more carefully as to avoid the current set of consequences I am facing." Yuugi noticed Seto had come into the room and that he was not but a couple steps behind Yami. "But, I am content to face my fate because I know you are happy."

"I told you Yuugi we will find a way to alter the current path you are on," Seto said shortly. He could hardly believe that Yuugi was still willing to give up so easily. He wanted the boy to put up a decent fight. After all this was his life, he was forfeiting.

Yami, a little startled, looked over his shoulder to see Seto. He half wondered when his lover had entered the room. Nevertheless, what he was more curious to know about was what sort of consequence Yuugi was facing. "What's going to happen?" His voice cracked.

"It doesn't matter," Yuugi narrowed his eyes when he saw Seto open his mouth.

"It does matter!" Seto growled as he grabbed a hold of Yuugi's shoulders and spun him around to look him in the eyes. "You are an idiot for devaluing the price of one's life," he growled. "You know what if life isn't important to you then jump," he removed one hand from the boys shoulder so that he could motion towards the balcony.

Yuugi glanced over his shoulder confirming the distance from point a to point b. This would have been the easier option for him to take rather than to wait his fate in misery. He wondered why he could not and suddenly for the first time in a long time, Yuugi was scared, unsure. He glanced back over at Seto and understood the point the man was making. Seconds later, he mentally recomposed himself- he would not lose his resolve.

"Seto! That's enough!" Yami growled and pulled the two apart. Today was turning out to be filled with surprises and he was not sure if could take much more. "Would you two please explain yourselves before you give me a fucking heart attack." He took a couple of deep breaths to calm himself down.

"I'm simply proving a point to Yuugi which I think he's fully gotten the drift of now," Seto smirked.

Yuugi wanted to avoid further conversation with the both of them at this moment. He rubbed his temple as he pushed past the two of them. "I'm going to take a bath before dinner, which you told me was at six, which is half an hour from now. If you insist on continuing this I'll be in there." He really hoped that both would just leave him alone for now.

Yami was left standing there to stare at Seto as the other stared back at him. He was the one who held a look of you have got to some explaining to do.

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><p>"You want to tell me what the fuck is going on?" Yami growled out of frustration as he motioned to the door as if Yuugi himself was standing there. "And, don't you dare beat around the bush!" He added before Seto could derail this conversation, which he knew was quite possible because his lover was good at that sort of thing.<p>

"He loves you as much as I love you and because you aren't reciprocating the feelings in gist he is trading his life in for you to have a life," Seto spoke through gritted teeth. Another person's anger could easily fuel his. He rubbed his temples and took in several deep breaths to try and calm himself down, even if just a little. "He's giving up perusing you because he doesn't want to ruin our lives."

Yami sank down onto the edge of the bed. His stomach churned. Somehow hearing it from Seto made it that much more real. "He never stops giving does he?" He whispered. He had never stopped loving his light; he just had never loved him like that. So why was this so difficult, it was just simply a nudge in a different direction?

"You'll suffer just as much as he does now when all is said and done and he is gone." Seto sat beside Yami and put his arm around his lover's waist. "That is the last thing I want for you. My only solution was for the three of us to try to fall in love with one another."

"Nothing about us has ever been simple," Yami gave a small laugh.

"I feel I at least owe him this much because he unknowingly gave me something no one else in this world could- you." Seto had never really cared to accept anything from anymore. "At least if I fail I can say I tried."

"How long do we have?" Even though Yami asked, he really did not want to know.

"A month at most," Seto mumbled. Yuugi had certainly set him up for a challenge. He just hoped that unlike Yuugi he could beat this game. After all, he suddenly felt responsible for the muddled up results that had come to fruition thus far.


	4. I Am Mr Howell : Part 1

**(Surprise gift fic for my friend DragonLady222. The majority of this fic is Prideshipping. There will be little hints here and there of Puzzleshipping. If I get gutsy I may do a bit of Flareshipping. Yes, that means that the main characters are Yuugi, Yami, and Seto. Enjoy. :D Please read and review. **

**Just to skip the utter confusion- Yuugi is Mr. Howell and his aliases first name is never mentioned. When in the building there is no Yuugi, first or last name.)**

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><p>Despite getting up after three hours of sleeping to help his grandpa run the shop and having no time to nap due to Seto, Yuugi was exhausted. However, due to having worked the graveyard shift for an extended amount of time he found it hard to sleep. Today, he could check off as being one of the most complex, horrible, and somewhat amazing days since he could remember. It was after dinner and thankfully, no one was squalling over him. He ran his fingers through his hair for the billionth time. Looking any better than he did now was no longer an option. He had done tossed and turned in bed, paced the room, and fidgeted with his clothes. He just wished the damn sun would shine and he could go to sleep. He was sure sleep would find him then. Then again, he was second-guessing himself because now he was assuming that the other occupants of the house were early risers. Now sure that the only way he would find bliss would be in the form of passing out. Although he was sure that would just result in them fidgeting over him even more so. His room offered him no comfort and as much as he did not want to venture out of it, he felt he did not have any other choice.<p>

Yuugi glanced at the paintings, statues, and other visuals as he mentally made a map so that he could get back to his room when he decided to. Every door thus far was closed making this little walk uneventful. Just as he was about to turn around and go back to his room he noticed an open door. He stepped inside and saw a laptop with a stack of papers next to it. No doubt Seto's work that he had taken home, the man gave an air that he never stopped working- if he did it was probably Yami's doings and that was something he did not want to think about. He knew he should have left and closed the door but curiosity got the better of him, or maybe it was exhaustion.

After taking a deep breath, Yuugi sat down in the chair. Whatever he saw would stay with him, and soon he would take it to his grave. He saw no harm in his 'snooping'. He tapped the key to wake up the sleeping machine. The password was easy to figure out; at least it was for him who knew more about the man than he cared to. After glancing at the lines of code that filled the screen, he glanced over at the notes. It was a process of back and forth. Nevertheless, it did not take him but a second to pick up where Seto left off.

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><p>"Just a minute Yami I need to grab my laptop," Seto called out as he stepped into the room. He paused when he saw that the chair was facing the computer instead of the door. He shrugged it off and marked it off as being up too late last night and being far too tired to remember if he left his chair like usual. He was about to lean forward and shut the laptop so he could pack it when he heard soft breathing. Glancing down, he saw Yuugi. He wondered why in the world he would choose this room of all places to fall asleep.<p>

"What's taking you so long?" Yami asked after just a mere two minutes of waiting. He came in the room to find Seto hesitating in front of his laptop. "Just close it and come on," he said not even realizing that something/someone had caught his eye.

"Sorry Yami just another second," Seto said finally snapping out of the mini trance. He tapped a key to wake the machine from its slumber. He noticed that things were not as he had left them. He scrolled up a bit and smirked. "When did Yuugi learn to do crap like this?"

"Crap like what?" Yami questioned impatiently. Seto had promised him breakfast out and if they did not hurry, they would not have time. Everyone demanded his lover's time making it hard to do even the simplest of things a normal couple would.

Yuugi shifted in the chair mumbling incoherently.

"Why is he sleeping in here?" Yami asked another question. He did not care that Seto had not had time to answer the first. He was a bit confused as to why Yuugi would want to fall asleep here when he had a perfectly good bed to sleep in back in his room.

"He apparently decided to help me with my program and fell asleep in the process," Seto said answering both questions. He glanced from his computer to Yuugi and finally he glanced over at Yami. "Think we should move him or what?"

"Just what the house needs- another you," Yami chuckled and rolled his eyes. He was referring to the fact of Seto also staying up countless hours just so he could get his latest project done. "He got himself here, he can get himself back to his room," he said simply. He was not trying to sound snippy or overly jealous of Yuugi's simple act that had attracted Seto's attention. It was just that normally when someone touched something of Seto's his lover went off the deep end and what he expected of him was the exact opposite of what he was doing right now.

Yuugi ran the back of his hand over his eyes before leaning to the left. His felt through the air. It was an obvious attempt to find and turn off an alarm clock, too bad for him that one did not exist. When his hand could not find the alarm clock it was searching out he yawned and stretched making himself fully prepared to wake up.

"Yami what's gotten into you?" Seto inquired a bit curious as to why Yami was being so snippy towards his light. He knew it was probably his fault and that his own personally was rubbing off on Yami. Still that was no reason to treat the person you owed your life to like shit.

"Nothing," Yami mumbled, he was not entirely sure himself as to why he was acting this way. "Come on before you wake him up," he pointed towards the boy who stirred from all the noise they were making. "Unless of course you're inviting him to breakfast as well," he could not help it when he rolled his eyes once again. Outside of the bedroom, he got little time alone with Seto.

Yuugi was coherent enough to catch snitches of the conversation between the two of them. "Just leave the blasted thing here and I'll finish it. When I am done I'll personally drop it off to you." What he said was mumbled and slurred but able to be deciphered. His generosity was extending beyond the normal for him when it came to present company.

Seto glanced from Yami to Yuugi to back to Yami. He had a back up at work so if something went terribly wrong it would not be too hard to correct. Somehow, though from what little he had seen he doubted that anything could go wrong. "You've got some explaining to do later," he said simply and took Yami's hand.

"Thanks," Yami mumbled his appreciation. With that much less work to do, Seto would have that much more time to spend with him- that he was grateful for. He had nothing else to say because when it came to something like this his two cents really did not matter in the first place.

"Now go," he made a shooing motion before stretching. As he yawned again, he curled up in the chair, his eyes having never opened. He had a feeling that now that he was half-awake he would have a hard time going back to sleep even if given the option.

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><p>"We'll eventually need to spend more time with him," Seto whispered as they left the room. "Sooner rather than later if we expect to impact his life in a way that will save him." He was realizing it was going to be twice as hard to execute his plan as he originally thought. Why Yami was putting the brakes on at every corner was beyond him. He just hope that his lover aka the other's dark would come to his senses and soon.<p>

"I don't like sharing," Yami mumbled. "It is hard enough getting a moment alone with you," he sighed softly. He was happy there was no questioning that. "I'm just so surprised you're willing to share so easily."

"I'm sharing because it is in our best interest. I do not want to see you get hurt. And, hurt is what you will be if he dies," Seto sighed softly as he put his arm around his lover's waist. "I'm sorry you feel ignored. I'll make it a point to give you more of my time."

"Just try shorting your day by an hour and bringing your work home a little less," Yami grinned. "You sure you didn't already have a thing for my light?" The gin vanishing as quickly as it had appeared. There it was- jealously at its finest rearing its ugly head.

"No!" Seto exclaimed as he fisted his unoccupied hand.

Yami simply nodded his head before kissing his lover softly on the lips. He was ginning one more as he put his arm around the other's waist.

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><p>Yuugi was sure that he defiantly looked like shit. He was having another day that consisted of about three hours of sleep. Being on deaths door and going straight to work did not help any either. He sighed, as he stood in front of the full sized mirror. He was still a bit wet from the shower.<p>

"After this I suppose I won't have any secrets left," Yuugi mused aloud as he admired himself in the mirror. He straightened his tie and then he checked to make sure he had properly lined his buttons up. He finished tucking everything but his bangs under the blond wig. He ran his fingers through the shoulder length locks that he had pulled back in a loose ponytail. He blinked a couple of times to make the blue contacts fit perfectly into place before putting on a pair of glasses that was for show only.

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><p>"Good morning Mr. Howell," the receptionist was extremely chipper today.<p>

'Seto must have come in, in a good moon- no doubt about it,' Yuugi mused to himself. Figuring out the mood of the 'tight ass' CEO was one of the first things he learned right away. The key was the receptionist's mood. "Morning," he replied simply with a smile.

The receptionist giggled when Yuugi smiled at her, a blush evident on her face. "I must admit I'm a bit surprised to see you considering you took a leave of absence for medical reasons. You do look good though," she quickly added the latter.

"Thanks- I guess," Yuugi giggled. He was not a Romeo, a Casanova, or a Don Juan by any means. Slightly embarrassed by the underlying flirting he blushed. Probably a bad move on his part, as it would make him look like he was reciprocating when he was not. "Tell Mr. Kaiba to be expecting me."

"Okay," the receptionist was happy to comply. When he mentioned about going on ahead she nodded her head, already on the phone.

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><p>Yuugi stepped into the Seto's office, something he had only done once or twice before- surprising considering his previous role with the company.<p>

"Coming to get your job?" Seto inquired, trying to look unfazed he did not bother to look up from his paperwork. If he was here for his job he could not deny the man his job back, after all he had been on a medical leave of absence. That and he actually missed having the man around, one of the few he considered competent to do the job.

Instead of answering Seto's question, he strode over to the desk and next to where the paperwork was he sat down the laptop that was secure in its bag. He was doing as promised and delivering it personally. He had chosen not to come as his 'real self' knowing it would probably answer a few of Seto's answers, even if unfortunately for him opening up a few more questions.

This caught Seto's immediate attention. "Where did you get this?" He questioned as he looked up.

Yuugi could have lied right there but he had come too far to back out now. He inwardly sighed now half wondering why he was bothering to reveal this secret. Something in him tugged at him and told him that he could not afford to be angry any more too any extent to the man that was trying to amend his wrongs. "I promised I would bring it to you personally."

For a man with an IQ through the roof he was displaying a dumbfounded look. If anyone had the nerve to point it out to him, they would have told him that he looked almost like a fish out of water gasping for fair as it flopped about. Just when Yuugi was about to say something it dawned on Seto. "This has got to be some joke," he said defensively as he stood up.

"No joke. You said I had some explaining to do, so here I've explained it." Yuugi held a very straight face that told nothing more than this was business. With the exception of his thumbs, he placed his hands in the front pockets of his pants. "No matter how much it hurt me I've always tried to do what is best for my dark so I guess in a way I am asking for my job back. The more I do for you the more time you have for him."

Seto probably would not openly admit it but when Mr. Howell aka Yuugi had been working for him he had, had less work to take home as far as programming went. He had not noticed this fact until the man had taken his medical leave. Did Yuugi ever stop giving?

"Did you honestly think that the only thing to captivate my interest was dirty artifacts and magical card games?" Yuugi questioned after Seto's extended silence. "It just so happened that your company was the only one looking to hire when I was out looking for a job."

"Why didn't you apply as yourself?" Seto asked curiously. He was still in a slight state of shock that Yuugi had been employed for him for nearly the last half a year. The man's sudden request for medical leave made sense now, but only because he already knew of Yuugi's current 'dilemma'.

"I wanted a fair, unbiased shot at the job. I did not think I would obtain that after my fit," Yuugi looked away from Seto and glanced out the large window. "I really did not want to work for you at all at the time but like I said you were hiring when no one else was and I was looking."

"And, how exactly would you find time for us if you took this job?" Seto was not going to let Yuugi give up so easily. He had already told the other that numerous times already. Crazy as it may be to think you can make people fall in love but he was going to try his damnedest.

"I suppose I can work the same schedule you do," Yuugi offered with a shrug of his shoulders. He liked the graveyard shift because he was more likely to avoid Seto. He guessed though that there really was no reason to try to avoid him now, he was after all living with the man.

"You were always a man with answers, one who was quick on their feet," Seto smirked; he was pleasantly surprised for a second time today. He supposed that those traits came from all those years of dueling.

"I won't come to work as any other person but the one whom is standing here now. I'll bring myself to work to avoid questions." Yuugi was doing his best to stifle an upcoming yawn. "I would love to stand around and chat for the rest of the afternoon, but I'm exhausted."

Seto nodded his head. He was not going to argue with that decision since it was at least a step in a more positive direction. "Did you sleep at all?" He asked when Yuugi mentioned he was exhausted.

"Three hours at the most for a second day in a row. It was a lot easier to do that when I wasn't at deaths door." Regardless if appropriate or not Yuugi stretched. "It is a long bus ride home so I'm going to get a move on it before I accidently fall asleep and don't make it home."

"You sound as if you've done it before."

"Unfortunately yes I have." Yuugi sighed as he turned to head of the room. "See you at home."


	5. I Am Mr Howell : Part 2

**(Surprise gift fic for my friend DragonLady222. The majority of this fic is Prideshipping. There will be little hints here and there of Puzzleshipping. If I get gutsy I may do a bit of Flareshipping. Yes, that means that the main characters are Yuugi, Yami, and Seto. Enjoy. :D Please read and review. **

**Just to skip the utter confusion- Yuugi is Mr. Howell and his aliases first name is never mentioned. When in the building there is no Yuugi, first or last name.)**

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><p>Yuugi was walking up the short stretch of the Kaiba mansion driveway. What was supposed to be an hour trip home had turned into a three-hour affair. Had he known this previous he would have stayed at the office and worked. Exhausted, he sighed.<p>

"Yuugi?" Seto questioned, even though he knew the answer. As he rolled down the window, the limo came to a stop. He was not expecting to find him out for a walk when he had mentioned just hours previous about going home because he was tired. "Couldn't sleep?" He asked out of concern.

Yuugi with a slight sway come to stop, "Haven't been home yet." Impaired by the suit, he did his best to stretch the length of himself. "The tire of the bus blew so I decided to stop for lunch. Apparently, I took a nap afterwards because I missed the replacement bus. Therefore, I had to wait for forever for another to come along." He yawned. "So here I am just making it home."

"It's ridiculous you'd spend so much time in transit. Get in," Seto said as he opened the door. He vaguely remembered Yuugi saying he did not want to arrive at work at the same time in the same vehicle but that had nothing to do with getting a ride down the driveway.

"You're not going to give me an option are you," Yuugi sighed as he got into the limo. He sat down but did not make himself comfortable since it was just a short distance. "It is only ridiculous to you because you've never had to do it. To the normal folks it is just every day routine."

"I don't know how you can consider yourself normal. You were once the 'King of Games'," Seto's eyes narrowed as he smirked mischievously, "and, currently you are employed for a very impressive and lucrative company and are one of the top paid programmers in Japan."

Yuugi leaned back and stared up at the ceiling of the limo. After a few moments of silence, he sighed in defeat, "I may not be as normal as some but I am not as extreme as others." He finally opened his eyes, looked back at Seto, and said, "No matter what I accomplish or how far I run, I am and always will be in your shadows. As long as you are constantly in someone else's shadow, you are normal. With that said I'm normal enough and plenty capable of daily routine and public transportation."

Before Seto could comment on Yuugi's view of what made a person normal, the door was being opened for them. He knew it was not a long distance from the gate to the front door but it felt a lot shorter today. He grumbled at the interruption, all further conversation halted. He knew that once out the limo there would be no continuing this as Yuugi would run off to his room and lock himself up until he absolutely had to come out.

Yuugi silently thanked Rah for the ability to escape from being under the microscope. Now he just had to make it inside and head straight for his room, avoiding Yami in the process. Lately, the normal moments with Yami were awkward enough but it would be even more awkward at this moment because Yami did not know Mr. Howell. He really did not want to get into it with his dark, or cause trouble for Seto.

* * *

><p>"Welcome home Seto," Yami, unaware of Yuugi, eagerly threw his arms around Seto's shoulders and kissed him gently on the lips. "There's a surprise for you in the living room!" He was grinning ear from ear; it was obvious that he was having a hard time containing the secret.<p>

Seto raised a brow as he returned the kiss. Knowing that Yuugi was right behind him he made a simple gesture of love and caressed Yami's cheek. "It's something big isn't it," finding Yami's childishness adorable he chuckled.

Mokuba, home for spring break, stepped in the hall. He had heard the 'commotion' in the hall and decided that waiting in the living room was not worth it and it was just as good to surprise his brother this way. From his position, he noticed Yuugi/Mr. Howell. "Appears that Yami and I aren't the only ones with a surprise," he laughed. "What brings you out of the office?" Knowing that Mr. Howell was a very private person, he could not help but tease.

Yuugi in the back of his mind was now cursing his luck and questioning Rah. "What a pickle were in," trying to be as cheery as Mr. Howell would have been at work, he chuckled. He rubbed the back of his head, as he looked everywhere but at the people in the room.

"He's not really a surprise," Seto rolled his eyes. "I brought him here so that he could pick out a car from my garage. I'll transfer ownership and make it a company vehicle." Knowing that Yuugi would not take something free, he worded it as such that it would come across as a 'loner vehicle. His excuse of giving Yuugi a car was not entirely a lie; there was some truth to it. He knew Yuugi's secret but no one else did and it was the other's place to reveal it when he felt the time was right. "He's kind enough to come back to work the least I can do is offer him a way there so that he could avoid hours on a bus."

Yuugi was still having a hard time wrapping his mind around how different of a person Seto was in private compared to public. He inwardly sighed as he placed a hand on Seto's shoulder. "I appreciate your generosity," he said in reference to keeping his secret. "But, I think this is one secret that shouldn't be kept. I trust these two to keep it between us," he smiled as he pulled the wig off and shook his head a little. "By the way, welcome home Mokuba," he said nonchalantly as if nothing was amiss.

The gesture only truly phased Mokuba. After his mouth flapped open and closed a few times, he started laughing, "Who would have ever guessed? Mr. Howell the head honcho of Kaiba Corporations programming department was none other than Yuugi Mutou."

Yuugi did not have time to join in Mokuba's laughter that seemed to be affecting Seto. He did not have to see his darks face to feel his emotions plummet, "Yami don't get her knickers in a twist, Seto just found out today." With that said, he headed towards the stairs.

Yami had already told Mokuba that Yuugi was staying with them but not why so he was not surprised at all that Yuugi was heading upstairs. After all if Yuugi/Mr. Howell had been out on a medical leave of absence and had only just returned he was no doubt exhausted.

Seto's laughter was short lived. He glanced from Yuugi's retreating form to Yami and sighed. 'Damn all the jealousy,' he thought to himself. He wanted everyone to get along but instead it was starting to feel like there was some war between Yami and Yuugi when it came to him. It felt silly considering that to Yuugi it was war between Yami and himself when it came to Yuugi.

"I'll go after him," Yami sighed. He knew Seto had set this all up to benefit him in the end but he was finding it hard to adjust. Why it was hard he was not sure because after all he had shared a body with him for years. Perhaps it was the fact that he now knew just how much Yuugi loved him, how much he had given him and in return, he had offered nothing.

Seto nodded his head. "Good to have you home, even if it is just for a minor break from school," before the mood could get any thicker, he pulled Mokuba into a hug. "Let them sort it out and then we'll go out to dinner."


	6. I'm Sorry

**(Surprise gift fic for my friend DragonLady222. The majority of this fic is Prideshipping. There will be little hints here and there of Puzzleshipping. If I get gutsy I may do a bit of Flareshipping. Yes, that means that the main characters are Yuugi, Yami, and Seto. Enjoy. :D Please read and review. **

**A simple reminder- Yuugi is Mr. Howell and his aliases first name is never mentioned.**

**Thank you everyone for reviewing and supporting this fic! *hugs* I'm sorry that I haven't updated in a while. Work got hectic, then I got sick, and then there was NaNoWriMo. But, I am back!)**

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><p>By the time, Yami had caught up with Yuugi he was already in his bedroom. Even if the door was open, Yami knocked loudly. He had learned from their brief time back together about Yuugi's desire to have his own personal space.<p>

When Yuugi had heard Yami knock, he was in the process of placing his wig on the manikin head. "Come in," he said with a yawn. He stretched, but not the length of himself. If he had, he would have lost his pants before he was ready to. He was already in the process of making himself comfortable and had unbuttoned both his pants and shirt.

Yami's breath hitched as he watched Yuugi stretch, exposing skin typically not in public view. It had been a long while since he had seen any real amount of Yuugi's skin. He remembered how good he used to look. Not that he would admit it but despite being at deaths door, he looked a good deal better now. It took him a second to come back to his senses and actually step into the room. "About earlier- I'm sorry."

"Accepted," Yuugi said as he shrugged his shirt off. He tossed it into the hamper in the corner of the room. He did not think anything of Yami being in the room, or his hawk like gaze. As far as he was concerned, Yami had seen his body one too many times to count. What was one more time? Besides, he was too tired to argue or be hateful at this point. "Anything else?" He said, yawning and once more stretching.

"They want you to go to dinner with us." Yami was really at a loss for what to say. Small talk was hard even if at one point it had not been. He sighed heavily as he rubbed the back of his neck nervously, the tension between them getting to him.

"Seto knows the day I've had. I'm sure he'll understand if I politely decline," Yuugi said simply as he strode across the room and sat down on the edge of the bed. He worked his pants down and off and then tossed them into the hamper. "You three go on ahead."

"You don't look half bad for being on deaths door," Yami finally admitted when he got more than an average eye full. He was almost sure that he only noticed his lights beauty now because he was not constantly fawning over Seto. He half wondered how he managed to keep up his looks, but was not going to ask.

"I wish you would have given me a second look sooner," Yuugi sighed as he glanced out of the terrace doors. He could not help but to still feel that it was too late. As a look of sorrow came over him, his eyes slid shut.

For a split second Yami was about to offer to get Yuugi some pajama bottoms but had remember that Yuugi did not own any because he preferred to sleep in the nude. "It was a bit hard to considering that we were constantly saving each other's asses- or someone else's. And, when weren't doing that," suddenly he stopped talking when he notice Yuugi had looked him in the eyes.

The look in Yuugi's eyes was that of someone who had betrayed. He wanted to lash out and tell Yami that he had, had time to stop. The he had been too busy checking out Seto to pay him any attention. Nevertheless, he did not have it in him right now. He stood up, pulled the covers back, and climbed into bed. For a brief second he enjoyed the silk sheets.

"I'll go," Yami said knowing that this one decent moment had about been derailed by once again something he had said. He felt that Yuugi was a touch too sensitive but then again he had never suffered heartache on any scale.

Yuugi shrugged his shoulders in a 'whatever' fashion as he rolled onto his side, facing away from Yami. Not that Yami could see it but a tear had slid down his cheek. The hand he slid under the pillow to support his head firmly gripped the sheet as he attempted to control himself. He was not about to start sobbing uncontrollably again.

* * *

><p>Seto looked away from Mokuba when he heard Yami heading into the living room- the help having gone to their living quarters for the day. 'At least he does not look like he is about to blow his top,' he thought to himself.<p>

"He said that you would understand if he politely declined the invitation," Yami sighed as he sat down next to Seto. Although he was not angry, he still wanted to give Seto a piece of his mind about all of this.

"Why don't we just wait half an hour to an hour and see then if he is ready?" Mokuba suggested. He had heard enough stories about 'Mr. Howell' to know about his current health conditions- or so he thought. He had yet to be informed of the entire truth of the matter.

"It is still early in the evening. Besides if it dinner turns out to be an all night affair I can just take the day off tomorrow. Being CEO has a few perks," Seto smiled, a not so rare thing inside his home. One way or another plan of his was going to work. "You don't mind a late dinner do you, Yami?"

"No," Yami answered, he wanted to say otherwise. Trying to be a good sport, he offered, "You know if he still doesn't feel like going anywhere after his nap we could always order in and take it to his room and have dinner there."

"Either works for me." As long as they ate together, Mokuba could really have cared less how they ate dinner. He glanced over at his brother and smiled when he saw the approving nod. He would wait until later to figure out why Yuugi was living with them.

"If we do take dinner up to his room we might want to give him a bit of a heads-up," Yami said already envisioning how Yuugi would take it when they all piled into his room. Sure Yuugi had been calm with just him and probably would still be with Seto; however, Mokuba was an entirely different story.

Mokuba gave Yami a questioning look. "Oh?" Out of sheer curiosity, the simple question slid out of his mouth before he could even think about what he had said.

"He sleeps nude. Trust me when he gets angry, he gets angry." To support himself as he leaned to his side, Yami propped his elbow on the arm of the sofa. "And, I for once do not want to be the cause of his anger," he unintentionally rolled his eyes.

Seto smirked as he thought to himself, 'I'm sure that's a sight to see.'

Mokuba at this news burst out laughing. "Please, say no more!"


	7. I see

**(Gift fic for DragonLady222.  
><strong>

**Main characters are Yuugi, Yami and Seto.  
>Main 'ship': Prideshipping (Yami x Seto)<br>Hints of: Puzzleshipping (Yami x Yuugi). Rivalshipping (Seto x Yuugi).  
>Fic Goal: Flareshipping (Seto x Yami x Yuugi).<strong>

**Enjoy. :D Please read and review.**

**A simple reminder- Yuugi is Mr. Howell and his aliases first name is never mentioned.**

**Thank you everyone for reviewing and supporting this fic! *hugs*)**

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><p>As Yuugi sat up, he glanced at the clock. Eyes still blurry from his nap it took him a minute to know what time it was. The new schedule of his was going to take some getting used to. Realizing it was half an hour past six he mentally cursed. Having had a late lunch and not being extremely hungry, he got over it quickly. In addition, he was sure that if he asked he could get something to eat- he would just be eating alone. That thought made him smile but he knew that if it happened too often they would think he was doing it intentionally. He yawned and stretched before climbing out of the king sized bed. Not expecting company unless he went down stairs he skipped picking out clothes and went straight to the shower.<p>

Yuugi turned on the bathroom room and adjusted it to a local station that offered semi upbeat tunes. The last thing he needed was to fall asleep in the shower. There was nothing worse than waking up via cold water- he liked his showers nice and hot.

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><p>"What do you want for dinner?" Seto asked after having knocked on the bathroom door to get Yuugi's attention. He had himself turned away from the mirror so that despite temptation to sneak a peek he could see nothing.<p>

Just as Yuugi figured, they were not going to let him go hungry. He did find it somewhat odd that Seto was tracking him down to ask him what he wanted to eat instead of telling him what had already been prepared. While he thought about what he wanted to eat, he finished rinsing the shampoo out of his hair. "I don't care," he finally said after a moment's thought.

"You okay with having Pizza? Mokuba wanted it."

"Leave it to a college kid to want junk food for dinner," Yuugi laughed. The laugh quickly turned into a painful cough. He sat back down and took a moment to catch his breath.

"You okay?" Seto asked as he grabbed a towel and unrolled it so that Yuugi could step right into it. Remembering what Yami had said earlier, he closed his eyes.

Yuugi turned off the water and opened the shower door. He was a bit surprised to see Seto standing there holding a towel and even more surprised to see him with his eyes close. "Did you close your eyes in the men's locker room at school?" He asked curiously.

Seto refused to get angry. By the tone in Yuugi's voice, he was sure that he was not questioning him to taunt him into an argument. "I paid my way out of PE and avoided the locker rooms," he chuckled.

"Thanks," Yuugi said as he took the towel from Seto. "I wish I could have been that lucky. I hated PE. I would have loved to substitute it for an extra computer class or something similar."

"And, I would have loved to have substituted it with something like that but I didn't. I lined it up to be the last class of the day. I left school early to go to work." Seto sighed. "Despite what people think I like to have fun as much as the next person."

"If you weren't too busy coming off as a hard-ass we might have been able to notice it." He inwardly sighed. "You can open your eyes," pregnant pause, "unless of course you like standing there with your eyes closed imagining what I look like without a towel."

"I was not imagining you naked!" Seto though smiling guiltily clenched his fist as his ears turned red. "Seriously not that hard considering you are nearly Yami's twin," he mumbled.

In this brief moment, Yuugi could almost see what Yami saw in him. "Admittance is the first step to realizing you have a problem," he smirked. "Anyways where is Yami?" He was in a hurry to change the subject before things got serious or nasty.

"He is downstairs playing a video game with Mokuba. Those two can play for hours. Who would have thought that a former pharaoh would be interested in video games?" Seto rolled his eyes. He may have created, marketed, and sold them but that did not mean that he spent hours playing them.

"Key word- games." As much as Yuugi wanted to stand around and air dry in a warm steam filled bathroom he decided against it. The last thing he needed was for Yami to come looking for them and get any ideas.

"Don't know why I didn't think of that. I'm going to go order pizza." Seto followed Yuugi into his bedroom.

"Okay. I'll meet you guys down stairs once I'm dressed." For a moment, Yuugi wondered why it was so much easier to get along with Seto than with his darker half. He inwardly sighed.

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><p>It was not that Yuugi had taken his time getting dressed it was the distance he had to walk that made him arrive just as Pizza was being carried into the living room. He did not picture Seto as being one to allow food to be eaten anywhere but the dining room table. Then again he had not pictured them eating at any other time than the scheduled times.<p>

"Just in time," Mokuba grinned as he saw Yuugi come into the room. He pushed some stuff off the sofa before patting it. "Come on. You can play with Yami and me while we eat pizza."

"Thanks for the offer but I would rather sit over there," Yuugi pointed to the recliner. "You and Yami play I'll watch. I'm not much a gamer." He inwardly laughed at how silly that sounded considering he was the former 'King of Games'. Probably still was but he did not care about titles or formalities.

Seto smirked; at least he was not alone in not being interested in video games.

"Suit yourself," Mokuba shrugged his shoulders but was not in the least bit phased by this revelation. He still had Yami to play video games with and even if he hardly won, he still was having a lot of fun.

Yami put the game on pause so that he could grab himself a couple of slices a pizza. He knew Mokuba would take this time to do the same. "Did you have a nice nap?" He was trying to be civil and keep the good mood going between Yuugi and himself.

"I guess." Yuugi tried to sound as positive as possible but it was a bit hard to do so. His dreams lately were filled with the day he had first witnessed Yami and Seto kissing or worse the two of them making love. Most probably would have found it erotic but he could not because it reminded him too much of being the odd man out.

"Yuugi do you want cheese or pepperoni or supreme?" Noticing the uneasiness in Yuugi's tone Seto quickly decided that it would be best to detour that conversation. "I forgot to ask you earlier which you preferred so I went with the most preferred."

"Cheese- it will cause me less pain in the long run," Yugi smirked. 'Ah the joys of falling apart,' he thought to himself. On occasion he missed being able to eat the more fun foods life had to offer.

"I'm sorry Yuugi I didn't even think about your medical condition. Not that I know what it is." Mokuba mentally slapped himself in the forehead.

"It's okay Mokuba. The last thing I want is people tiptoeing around me as if I am broken glass. Just because I cannot enjoy everything life has to offer to the fullest doesn't meant that everyone else around me should have to suffer." He smiled when Seto handed him a paper plate with a slice of pizza, "thank you."

Yami did his best not to think too much into the quick topic change.

"I hope you don't mind me asking but what is exactly wrong Yuugi?" Mokuba's curiosity got the better of him.

"It's complicated," Seto answered for him. "In a couple of years."

For a brief second Yuugi looked Seto in the eyes. He was unsure whether to be thankful or angry. He had a voice and did not need anyone to speak for him. At the same time, he was grateful that Seto was constantly detouring the conversations when they could get messy.

"I'm not an eight year old kid anymore you know. I can tie my shoes, date, and make grown up decisions." There was playfulness in Mokuba's voice. He knew though that it was ultimately Yuugi's choice whether he wanted to answer the question or not- either way he would not be disappointed.

"I hope that some of those grown up decisions of yours involve using condoms." There was not a second thought at what Seto had just said; after all, he had raised Mokuba and at times could not help but too sound more like a parent than a brother.

Both Yuugi and Yami about choked on their bite of pizza.

Mokuba's eyes went the size of saucers. Thankfully, he had not been eating at the time of the comment. "Didn't we cover this conversation already when I was ten and then every year afterwards? Then on top of that, you spent at least if not more than an hour lecturing me when I first started dating. So how could I forget?"

"The same way you did that one time. Remember that two-hour conversation we had with you panicking and all the months we spent afterwards worrying. We got lucky that she was cheating on you and it turned out not to be yours. I'd rather not repeat it so I'm going to continue to remind you until you're married."

Mokbua's face was redder than any strawberry could have hoped to be. "Sure be Mr. Perfect."

Yuugi was quickly trying to think of a way to derail this family 'blowup'. Having a good idea how he cleared his throat to get their attention. "Seto why don't we leave Yami and Mokuba to play their game while me and you step into the next room to catch me up on what I've missed at work," pregnant pause, "I would prefer not to be blindsided on my first day back."

"Is that okay with you Yami?" Seto asked as he put himself a couple of slices of pizza on a paper plate. For now, the previous conversation between him and his brother was over.

Yami nodded his head. The last thing he needed was to hear more of Seto and Mokuba discussing a previous mistake- one he already knew a little bit about.

This house was full of touchy, need to be avoided subjects.


	8. I'm Falling For You

**(Gift fic for DragonLady222.  
><strong>

**Main characters are Yuugi, Yami, and Seto.  
>Main 'ship': Prideshipping (Yami x Seto)<br>Hints of: Puzzleshipping (Yami x Yuugi). Rivalshipping (Seto x Yuugi).  
>Fic Goal: Flareshipping (Seto x Yami x Yuugi).<strong>

**Enjoy. :D Please read and review.**

**A simple reminder- Yuugi is Mr. Howell and his aliases first name is never mentioned.**

**Thank you everyone for reviewing and supporting this fic! *hugs*)**

* * *

><p>Yuugi really hated public affairs, most of all soirees. As much as he hated them, he could not avoid them. Reason being, he was one of the lead programmers of Kaiba Cooperation. So here he was, in a suit and tie with wig and contacts.<p>

Everyone who was someone was here. Currently occupying the space near the punch bowl was president of Industrial Illusions, Pegasus. He was conversing with his two adoptive sons Yako and Gekko. Just a little to the right was Seto himself. He was trying not to look overly bored as the president of Schroeder Corp, Zigfried carried on a conversation about some new store he opened. Towards the middle of the room was the president of Paradius, Alister chatting it up with Otogi who had recently taken over the Black Clown game shop. Other than talking about the shop, they were talking about Otogi's Dungeon Dice Monsters game. Yami and Mokuba were close to the entrance doors, chatting about video games. There were others here, some of who were his friends- not that they would know who he was. He preferred it that way.

Yuugi sighed and swirled the liquid in his glass around. He glanced at his watch, an hour left and this party would be over. He stared aimlessly into the crowd, for how long he was not sure. What roused him from his musing was a tap on his shoulder. He looked to his right to see who had come to stand beside him. "You managed to get away from Zigfried finally?"

"Finally? How long have you been watching me?" Seto was mildly curious. Was Yuugi really that bored? Or, just that observant? He had not noticed him not talking to anyone for any extended amount of time any of the times he had glanced his direction.

Yuugi glanced down at his empty glass, unsure of when he had finished it. He sat it down on the table behind him. "Not long." He stuffed his hands into the pockets of his slacks, his thumbs hanging out over the edge. He rocked softly on his heels.

"Trust me when I say I hate these soirees as much as you." When one of the waiters came around with a tray of bubbly, Seto grabbed a glass. His had long since been empty. "Wouldn't be so damn bad if they weren't stuffy," he sighed.

"You should give Yami a couple more drinks, get him tipsy," Yuugi did not say anything further. When the waiter offered him a glass, he accepted. "I'm sure that would make your evening." He had no intentions on finishing it. If anything, this glass was just for show. There was nothing worse than an unoccupied hand when it came to these types of affairs.

Seto was thankful he had yet to take that sip he was just about to. He cleared his throat and adjusted his tie. He opened his mouth to say something but found himself speechless. This was not something that happened often.

"I wasn't going there," Yuugi chuckled. "Not my fault your imagination goes directly there." He was sure that Seto enjoyed his musings unlike him where he hated his. His musings were often the same as his dreams. Dreams that were more like nightmares. He refused to lose the smile or the good mood that they were currently sharing in this otherwise boring party.

Seto breathed in deeply, he hoped that his cheeks held no color other than natural hues. "Whose wouldn't?" He could not think of one adult male whose mind would not go straight to the gutter at the mention of getting their lover drunk and dragging them home. Although, putting it that way sounded somewhat barbaric half of him found it erotic.

"Me," Yuugi chuckled. "Then again I don't have anyone anymore that I want to take home. No offense." He added that last bit after a moment of thought. "You have been more of friend to me than my friends. Then again, I haven't let anyone in, in a long time. I am kind of glad that you pressed and forced this situation into play."

"Why don't you let your friends in?" Seto's curiosity was once again sparked. He knew that Yuugi and his friends use to be big into friendship. He still remembered those damn speeches Anzu use to give. He was not sure which sucked more, those speeches or these soirees.

"The last thing I wanted to happen was for Anzu to butt in and try to make everything alright. I wanted Yami to be happy, and I gave him everything I could. I wanted it to stay that way. Letting on friend know means that they all know. They say they won't tell but their mouths are really big." He gave a little chuckle, as he looked Seto in the eyes.

"There's more to it than that. I can see it in your eyes," Seto said after making direct eye contact with Yuugi.

"Ultimately, my pride was damaged severely after I lost that final game. I wanted to tuck my tail and hide from the world." Yuugi sighed and looked away from Seto. He stared aimlessly into the crowd again. "I wanted to die in peace."

"Basically, you gave up. You didn't have a will to fight so you didn't want anyone to fight for you." Seto rested his hand on Yuugi's shoulder. He was as tall as Yami now, but still shorter than himself. "You fought Yami's battles instead and insured his place."

"If you want to look at it like that. Then I suppose yes that could sum it up." The two shared a comfortable silence for a few brief minutes before Yuugi cleared his throat. "You should be heading over towards Yami. He is getting fidgety."

"I wonder if he has had anything to drink," Seto mused allowed.

"Probably not," Yuugi laughed. "Here take mine and give it to him." He handed Seto his glass and smiled. "I wasn't planning on drinking it. I usually just have one in hand for show so the girls don't come up and hit on me."

"Hit on you?"

"You think guys are bad with their 'let me buy you a drink' pick up lines, you should see girls." Yuugi winked. He gave Seto a gentle nudge via his back. "Go on."

Seto could not help but to laugh as he was pushed into the crowd.

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><p>Thankfully, for Yuugi the rest of the party went on without a hitch. Aside from Seto, he was able to secretly slip out at the end with the rest of the people. Having had a bit more to drink than originally intended, he called a taxi. He had the taxi driver drop him off at the gas station just down the street from the mansion so no questions could be asked or raised eyebrows given. It was cool and a perfect evening for a short walk.<p>

Yuugi had lost the tie and shoes the moment he walked in the front door. Now, that he was in his room he was making quick work to take off the tuxedo. He carefully dropped the jacket on the chair that was next to the door. With one hand, he worked the buttons on his shirt. Dress shirt and slacks on a daily basis was one thing. However, this was another; he could not wait to be out of this penguin suit. It was worse than leather.

The moment Yuugi started undressing, Yami adverted his eyes. "What took you so long to get home?" Yami who had been sitting on the edge of the bed the entire time finally spoke up. "We were the last to leave and still made it home before you."

Yuugi would figure out later why Yami was in his room and not in his own room with Seto. Apparently, Seto was right and Yami had little to nothing to drink. "I took a cab. I wasn't too keen on them dropping me off at the front doors so I had them take me to the gas station that is just down the road." He tossed his shirt into the dirty clothes hamper.

"You could have ridden with us. The limo has more than enough room."

"And, just how many questions do you think that would raise?" Yuugi asked. He himself had thought all of this through on numerous occasions. "I earned my position in the company. As nice as riding with the three of you would have been I don't want people thinking that I was given my place in the company." He took off his wig and placed it on the fake head on the dresser. He sighed as he ran his fingers through his hair. He was starting to feel a lot better now that he was not so hot.

"Oh." It was all Yami could say. He did not know much about the cooperate ladder and how it operated. "We worried about you." He finally looked over at Yuugi. "I worried about you." The last sentence came out as a barely audible whisper.

Yuugi had been in the process of unbuttoning his pants but stopped to listen when Yami mentioned they were worried about him. He had barely heard what he had said last. Thankfully, for once he had been paying attention to him and not just drowning him out. This was one of those moments that if you missed it was sure to start a war. Everything that had been worked towards gone in a second. He smiled.

"I'd tell you to finish getting ready for bed. But there really isn't much left considering you don't wear pajamas." Yami laughed. It was the first time in a long time that he felt comfortable around his light. He honestly missed the days when things just came naturally.

Yuugi laughed. It felt good to laugh even if it tore at his insides. He sat down next to Yami and took a moment to catch his breath.

"I'm with Seto. I think we can fix this." Yami looked Yuugi in the eyes as he ran his fingers through his hair. Their lips were just inches from each other. For the first time he could see what Seto saw in him. This was not just some lovesick little boy. This was a man who was so deeply in love with another that they would go to extensive lengths to prove it. Yuugi may have thought that by stepping back he was conceding his loss to Seto but actually it showed more.

Yuugi could feel Yami's breath on his face. He felt that his rapidly pounding heart would break the cage that confined it and jump right out of his chest. He felt conflict. He felt twisted up inside. Knowing that this is what Seto ultimately wanted, and it wanted it too now. He wanted to kiss him. Still part of him felt guilty because the other party was not present.

"I love you," Yami whispered as he leaned the rest of the way in and kissed Yuugi.


	9. I Was Not That Drunk

**(Gift fic for DragonLady222.  
><strong>

**Main characters are Yuugi, Yami, and Seto.  
>Main 'ship': Prideshipping (Yami x Seto)<br>Hints of: Puzzleshipping (Yami x Yuugi). Rivalshipping (Seto x Yuugi).  
>Fic Goal: Flareshipping (Seto x Yami x Yuugi).<strong>

**Enjoy. :D Please read and review.**

**A simple reminder- Yuugi is Mr. Howell and his aliases first name is never mentioned.**

**Thank you everyone for reviewing and supporting this fic! *hugs*)**

* * *

><p>Thankfully, he had the day off. He did not think any part of him could handle working after last night. Even if he had slept until his fill, he was exhausted. He reached over and felt carelessly about his nightstand. He never kept anything important on it, just a clock, a lamp, and occasionally a set of keys. He knew he had found what he had been blindly searching for the moment he felt the buttons. He grabbed the clock and brought it to him. Seeing nothing but a blur of red, he rubbed his eyes. Finally, the blur of red started to make sense. 11:30 am were the numbers that stared back at him. "I've missed breakfast I see," he mumbled to no one but himself.<p>

Yuugi was suddenly fully awake when he felt the sheets move. What had he done last night? He frantically thought through the entire evening. The party. Coming home. Being home. Shit! 'But, I was not that drunk,' he rationalized with himself. So what in the seven hells was someone doing in his room, in his bed? Someone was going to die. If not him killing Yami for taking advantage of him in a vulnerable state, then Seto killing himself for not being invited. He was certain of this.

Deciding a shower was best before gathering further details of last night, Yuugi sat up slowly. He realized at that moment that he was wearing pants. He never wore pants to bed. He let out a sigh of relief. 'Okay, so nothing happened other than kissing,' he told himself, and forced himself not to overreact. He touched his lips and could not help the smile. Then he frowned as he remembered that he had never told Yami he loved him. It was all one sided. Although Yami had not really given him much of a chance to say anything once they had started kissing. Unless you counted a kiss on the cheek from Anzu or Mai, he had never been kissed. Despite that fact, he was sure that this was THE kiss. The one to end them all. There would never be another kiss comparable to last night. In addition, with his luck it would be the only kiss he would ever get. Well, okay so he had to admit that it was not just one, but a couple. More like an entire make out session. He hoped to Rah he had not creamed his pants or passed out on Yami. Why was everything such a blur? He was certain he had not had that much to drink.

Conflicted he trudged forward towards the bathroom. Completely unaware that it was not just Yami in his bed but Seto as well. He closed the door and started to pull of his pants. He felt a bit better now knowing that he had not creamed himself last night at any point- awake or asleep. The pants were a wrinkled mess. 'So much for salvaging these pants for another use before they had to be dry-cleaned,' he thought to himself.

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><p>Yami had felt Yuugi stir but did not attempt to stop him or hold onto him. He had been in that state of half-asleep, half-awake for a while now. Desperate for body warmth he scooted back towards Seto. A bulge pressed directly into his backside. "Really now Seto you should have more self control," he teased.<p>

Seto nuzzled his face into the crook of Yami's neck. "It's my day off and I should be getting laid right about now." To emphasize this he wrapped his arm around Yami to hold him place as he ground himself against the others back side.

Yami bit his lip to hold back the moan. He was still horny from last night and the last thing he wanted to do was turn Seto away. He cursed Seto for giving him that glass of bubbly and then talking to him about Yuugi. Talk about near conflicting topics. Screw your husband senseless or profess your love to your light. The latter had won in the end. "I think the last thing Yuugi wants to see when he gets out of the shower is the two of us going at it like dogs in heat."

"Think he'd flip if he saw us blowing each other?" Seto was seriously desperate at this point. He had, had too much to drink the previous evening. Drinking always made him horny. He was starting to wonder why he ever talked to Yami about Yuugi. If he had not he could be getting laid right now via one of the two hottest asses in the house. He knew deep down though that he had done the right thing.

"Yes."

"A hand job?"

"Get your mind out of the gutter!"

"He takes long showers."

"Kaiba Seto," Yami used his sternest voice, "give it up."

"I'd love to."

"Horny dog!" Yami sat up and smacked Seto with a pillow. "You wanted to sleep in here so deal with it!" He had not realized that he had raised his voice to the point where he could be heard in the bathroom.

"Quiet down," Seto laughed as he covered Yami's mouth.

* * *

><p>All Yuugi could hear while in the shower was raised, muffled voices. He could not make a word out of what was being said. He knew he did not have a TV in his room, so he wondered if Yami had gotten up and turned the radio on, on the alarm clock to give himself something to do while he waited for him to get out of the shower. 'Why didn't I grab pants?' He mused to himself. He shrugged his shoulders. It had not bothered him early to strut around naked in front of Yami, or in a towel in front of Seto. After drying off, he wrapped one towel around his waist and another around his hair. He braced himself for some chilly air as he opened the door.<p>

The moment they heard the bathroom door open both Yami and Seto dropped the pillows they had been using to smack each other senseless with. Both were red in the face and out of breath. Their expressions were that of a child who had just had their hand caught in the cookie jar.

'These two going at it with pillows,' Yuugi thought to himself. He would not openly admit it but he found this to be cute. Never had he imagined Seto as being the playfully type. However, he did remember though him mentioning previous that he liked to have fun as much as anyone else did. "Bit early in the day for a pillow fight, isn't it?" He smiled.

"Not when you are trying to defend yourself from some hor-," Yami caught himself, "hopeless romantic." Having made a good deal of progress last night, the last thing he wanted was for there to be eggshells all over the room again.

It was obvious that Seto was holding his breath, waiting for the lashing to come flying out of Yuugi's mouth.

"Seriously Yami grow up. Just say it. Seto's a horny dog." Yuugi did his best to keep a straight face. To add to the affect, he crossed his arms over his chest. "Why else would he be in my room at noon, half naked, and chasing your tail." You could tell that his seriousness was a put on. He was not thinking about why Seto had pajama bottoms on when it was so close to noon.

They both gave Yuugi a dumbfounded look.

"Oh come on you two lighten up. I am the one after all that told Seto to chase your tail last night. Apparently he didn't get to because you were in here with me." Yuugi had not realized how wrong that had sounded because for once he put no thought into what he was saying.

With a look of indifference, Seto looked over at Yami.

"I did nothing but kiss him." Yami said defensively. "I'm still wearing pants! So is he! Well he was until he took a shower." The more he spoke, the more he stuttered. He was digging himself a pretty deep hole.

Yuugi's eyes went large as what he had said sunk in. What he had said could be taken the wrong way. Furthermore, it was apparent that it had. Currently his dark was a stuttering mess, no typical take-charge confidence about him. "I didn't mean it like that!" He clarified.

There were the eggshells. They were all sure of it.

"Lighten up you two!" Seto laughed as he threw a pillow at the two of them. "Someone in this room needs to get laid and it isn't me." He grabbed a pillow so that he could be at the ready when they started to smack the shit out of him with theirs. "Well, actually I could use a good lay…" he said as an afterthought.

"Oh, that's it!" Yami and Yuugi said together as they started to smack Seto with their pillows.

Yuugi having too much fun ignored the pain. And, the fact that he was soon to lose his towel.


	10. I'm Like Him?

**(Gift fic for DragonLady222.  
><strong>

**Main characters are Yuugi, Yami, and Seto.  
>Main 'ship': Prideshipping (Yami x Seto)<br>Hints of: Puzzleshipping (Yami x Yuugi). Rivalshipping (Seto x Yuugi).  
>Fic Goal: Flareshipping (Seto x Yami x Yuugi).<strong>

**Enjoy. :D Please read and review.**

**A simple reminder- Yuugi is Mr. Howell and his aliases first name is never mentioned.**

**I'm sorry this chapter is a bit short. I had another idea but it did not go to well with this one. So, if I have the time to get that other idea written you'll get more to read in the next couple of days. If not then next weekend at the latest.  
><strong>

**Thank you everyone for reviewing and supporting this fic! *hugs*)**

* * *

><p>Due to sleeping in late and spending a good part of the afternoon 'playing', the three of them had all missed breakfast and lunch. Yami himself preferring not to skip meals had decided to go and make lunch for everyone. He was a bit surprised to find Yuugi tapping away at the keys much like Seto would. "You two are a lot alike," he said as he sat a sandwich and juice down on the desk.<p>

Yuugi looked at the sandwich and then at Yami. "What do you mean?" He absentmindedly wrote something down on the pad of paper that next to his laptop.

"The both of you can have mind blowing sex and then go to work as if nothing happened."

"How would I know what is considered mind blowing," Yuugi mused aloud. He had enjoyed himself immensely but he had nothing to compare it to. His body may have been involved in a few rounds but he himself had never participated until moments ago.

Yami opened and closed his mouth a couple of times. He was doing a good impersonation of a fish out of water. "Anyways."

"What do you expect to happen afterwards- cuddling and watching TV the rest of the day?" Yuugi picked at the bread. "If that happened Seto would never get anything done," he paused for a moment to think, "unless of course you opted to have sex once every other week or something like that."

Yami turned red in the face. "Yuugi!"

"No more quickies at the office," Yuugi added.

"Stop it!" Yami clenched his fist. He was not angry just flustered. He could not picture life without sex.

"Now who's the horny dog?" Yuugi chuckled.

They both looked up when they heard a knock at the door. The two of them looked like a deer caught in the headlights. Seto's arrival had stopped Yami from answering Yuugi's question.

"I heard Yami screeching like a barn own," Seto said as he came into the room. "You two aren't fighting again are you?" Seeing Yuugi laughing he did not think that was the case but still, he just had to ask. You never knew with these two.

"He's teasing me." Yami pouted. He crossed his arms over his chest and attempted to look as serious as possible.

"Calling you a horny dog isn't teasing you," Yuugi smirked, "it is actually stating a truth."

"Nice to know I'm not the only nymph in the house," Seto laughed.

"If it was up to Yami you would never leave the bed."

"Not true!" The words flew right out of Yami's mouth.

Seto glanced at Yami curiously. "Hardly convincing considering you are a bit quick to defend yourself."

Instead of saying anything else that could incriminate him, Yami took a bite of Yuugi's sandwich.

"If you weren't a guy I'd ask if you were pregnant," Seto teased. "You just ate your own sandwich not even five minutes ago." Finding Yami amusing he laughed. His lover was a never-ending source of entrainment.

"I don't mind." Yuugi said as he picked a bit more at the half of the sandwich that was on the plate.

Seto watched as Yuugi picked at what was left of the sandwich. It was pretty much the way he ate every meal. "We've really got to get you eating like a person and not a bird." He glanced over at Yami who resembled a hamster who was afraid his lunch was going to be stolen. "A normal person," he added after watching Yami finish chewing and swallowing the half of the sandwich he had crammed into his mouth.

"Hey!" Now Yami was managing a good imitation of a puffer fish. Only the puffiness was not achieved due to being scared and having to defend yourself- it was instead achieved by ego.

"Truth hurts," Yuugi laughed, "trust me I know." He took a sip of the juice.


	11. I'm a Pro

**(Gift fic for DragonLady222.  
><strong>

**Main characters are Yuugi, Yami, and Seto.  
>Main 'ship': Prideshipping (Yami x Seto)<br>Hints of: Puzzleshipping (Yami x Yuugi). Rivalshipping (Seto x Yuugi).  
>Fic Goal: Flareshipping (Seto x Yami x Yuugi).<strong>

**Enjoy. :D Please read and review.**

**A simple reminder- Yuugi is Mr. Howell and his aliases first name is never mentioned.**

**My apologies on the delay for this chapter. I've had it written for a while. I've just held onto it to make sure there wasn't anything else that was going to pop up.  
><strong>

**Thank you everyone for reviewing and supporting this fic! *hugs*)**

* * *

><p>Yuugi, with laptop under his arm, rummaged through the fridge. He grabbed some grapes and cheese and headed over to the kitchen nook. Having gotten so use to staying up all night and sleeping most of the day, he was having a hard time adjusting. He was probably going to regret staying up well past a decent hour tomorrow.<p>

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><p>Seto was prompt as always to the dining room for breakfast. He was a bit surprised to see Yuugi already there and somewhat eating. He knew Yuugi was always a few minutes late because he was notorious for pushing the snooze button at least a couple more times. "You're early to rise this morning."<p>

"I never went to sleep," Yuugi mumbled as he pushed the cereal around in the bowl. His lack of interest in breakfast was evident. "By the time I finished what I was doing it was pointless." He did not bother trying to stifle or hide the yawn.

"What were you working on?" Seto grabbed the box of cereal and poured himself some. He smiled as Yuugi pushed the pitcher of milk his way. "And, why were you working on it in the middle of the night? Whatever it was it could have waited." He wished half his employees were as dedicated to the job as Yuugi.

"I'm having a hard time adjusting to being 'normal'. So, instead of staring at the ceiling for hours I came down here and worked some more on that project." Yuugi took the first bite of his cereal that he had fixed about ten minutes ago when the rest of the cereal and bowls and spoons had been brought out.

"It took me forever to adjust." Seto admitted. "Yami can be such a mother hen at times." He chuckled. He took a couple bites of his cereal before reaching for the business section of the paper. "Can I ask you something?"

Yuugi nodded and decided that the few bites he had, had were enough.

"Would you have played your final game if you had known about Yami and me?" Seto's curiosity finally getting the better of him, he had to ask.

"I wish I had known in a timelier fashion." Yuugi looked over towards Seto. "Your confession of love for him would have not changed my feelings towards him. I would do anything to make him happy." Yuugi looked over towards Seto. "That should be obvious."

"It is obvious, but still I couldn't help but ask." Seto looked over towards Yuugi.

"I know since I was the challenger that I could not put anyone else's life on the line but mine but still I feel as though, that if I had known, I would have tried to put yours on the line. I would want proof of your devotion to him." He sighed softly. "However, things played out the way they were meant too."

"Why do you say that things played out the way they were meant to? You have one foot on deaths doormat." Seto motioned towards Yuugi, but to nothing in general.

"Because I think I knew all along that you loved him. Jealously is a cruel creature that claims many and blinds them from the obvious." For a brief second Yuugi looked away. "They, unlike me, could see all the pieces of the puzzle. I think in some sick way they went with the saying 'may the best man win'."

"We've all won."

"We'll see."

Their conversation came to a halt as Yami finally entered the dining room. "You two seriously need to lighten up. It looks like someone died recently and you just received the news."

"I'm standing on death's doormat," Yuugi smirked, "does that count?"

Seto shot Yuugi a look. "We are doing everything to prevent you stepping on a banana peel and slipping right on through," he said as he brandished his spoon at Yuugi.

Yami dropped down into the chair between the two. He ignored them and grabbed the cereal box.

"Let me take you into work today," Seto suggested the moment he saw Yuugi yawn. The one thing he did not need was Yuugi getting into a wreck and offing himself that way.

"I already told you, thank you but no thank you. I climbed the later via my own skills. I want people to continue to respect me for my talents and not because they think I'm sucking dick." Yuugi stared at his bowl of cereal and pushed a few pieces around with his spoon.

Yami about choked on his cereal. "Yuugi," he sputtered.

"How about I just take a cab? I'm more than capable of that and you won't have to worry about me falling asleep on the bus and ending up Rah who knows where."

"Deal," Seto tried his best not to sound agitated. He had learned by now that nothing was 'easy' when it came to Yuugi, and if given the chance, they would go at like cats and dogs.

"I can see it now when the press finds out about this Ménage à trios." Yuugi stood up just as Seto did as well. "I just hope that the two of you are ready for the publicity- good and bad." As if he had just told the punch line to a joke, he laughed.

"I'm a pro when it comes to handling publicity," Seto chuckled, "however, Yami is a novice."

_'If only this was a couple thousand years ago,"_ Yami thought to himself. He kept focused on his cereal as Seto and Yuugi left the kitchen to go and finish getting ready for work.


	12. I would

**(Gift fic for DragonLady222.  
><strong>

**Main characters are Yuugi, Yami, and Seto.  
>Main 'ship': Prideshipping (Yami x Seto)<br>Hints of: Puzzleshipping (Yami x Yuugi). Rivalshipping (Seto x Yuugi).  
>Fic Goal: Flareshipping (Seto x Yami x Yuugi).<strong>

**Enjoy. :D Please read and review.**

**A simple reminder- Yuugi is Mr. Howell and his aliases first name is never mentioned.**

**This chapter was written in about an hour and has not been beta'd. I don't have an offical beta. Please excuse the errors.  
><strong>

**I for the life of me cannot remember if I replied to the last set of reviews (please don't let it stop you from reviewing this chapter). I normally do them as I get them. I appreciate all my reviews and if I didn't reply to them I am sorry. I did read them all.  
><strong>

**Thank you everyone for reviewing and supporting this fic! *hugs*)**

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><p>With a little over a week left until judgment, he was considerably slower. He slept more and worked less. Nevertheless, despite the fact of the ominous feeling of death approaching he was still smiling. He looked half-asleep as he scanned the board, calculating his next move.<p>

"You sure you're knocking on death's door?" Yami asked as he watched Yuugi inch closer to his queen. He was not sure how Yuugi was winning this round in his half there, half not state of mind. Perhaps it was the fact that he himself was only half heartily playing. He made his move, which was no better than Yuugi's.

"For the thousandth time Yami," Yuugi paused to draw in the deepest breath he could manage; however, it only resulted in a coughing fit, "I'm sure." He ran his fingers through his hair and sighed. "If I slipped on the banana peel today I'd die happy. I'm content."

"How can you be so content?" Yami had not bothered to move from his chair to comfort Yuugi. He knew that his light preferred to be left alone to wallow in his own misery. He still had trouble understanding why. He often said something about not wanting others to take pity on him.

"You don't have to tell me you love me for me to know that you do." Yuugi said in a hoarse whisper. He finally took his turn. He rolled his eyes when he noticed Yami's curious, 'kid caught with hand in the cookie jar', expression. He smiled.

"Well mister," Yami did his best to act miffed, but he was not fooling anyone, "if you're so sure of yourself then why do you insist you're going to kick the bucket and not make the return trip." He had grown accustomed to having Yuugi around and was actually starting to warm up to the idea. In addition, it had nothing to do with the sex the three of them had, which he could count the times on one hand. However, he was not lacking because him and Seto had gone at it like rabbits during the in between times. Neither complained about Yuugi's lack of drive because they knew he was not physically able. Just saying that Yuugi might not make it back made his skin crawl and made him feel nauseous.

"Tell me something and be honest," Yuugi was about to ask the question when he stopped himself and added, "oh, and, don't put a lot of thought into it."

"Go on," Yami nodded his head.

"Would you willing share your body with me? You know like I shared mine with you."

"N-" Yami's first attempt at a response. "Ye-" His second attempt at a response, more a recovery. "Ga-" His third and final attempt at a response. He smacked his forehead and then covered his face with the same hand. Suddenly he could not look at Yuugi. He frowned. Now he was left silently questioning himself.

"That's why Yami. Every day gestures and expressions aren't going to be enough to win this game. You of all people should know that Shadow Games and Games with Gods are never easy. They come with a price tag, and usually a very heft one."

Yami sighed and looked at Yuugi with the eyes of a lost puppy.

"And, by the way, check mate," Yuugi made his final move.

Yami now had the expression of a fish out of water. His mouth was flapping as he tried to find something to say.

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><p>"What's wrong?" Seto asked as he glanced over at Yami. His lover had not said one word since the limo arrived to pick him up. Now that he had a chance to think about it he had not even really looked at him. Yami was just staring off into nowhere in particular with a very blank expression on his face. "What's wrong?" He asked again, when he got no response. To add emphasis to his question he nudged Yami.<p>

"I fucked up," Yami mumbled.

"How did you fuck up?" Suddenly feeling a headache coming on, Seto rubbed his temples. He hoped that whatever happened while he was at work was nothing serious. More importantly, he hoped that Yami did not get into any time of argument with Yuugi. They were doing so well here lately.

"I killed him."

Seto grabbed Yami and shook him violently. "You what!" He screeched. He thought about the mess Yami would have made. He thought about the cops. He thought about Yuugi's lifeless body. Yuugi. His thoughts stopped there. His heart plummeted to his stomach. He had come to love him.

In an attempt to get Seto to stop, Yami throughout his hands. "Figuratively."

Seto stopped and stared at Yami. His heart, though pounding, was still swimming around in his stomach.

"Blink or something Seto, you're scaring me."

Seto finally let out a breath he had not realized he had been holding. At least, for now, Yuugi was still alive. "Did the two of you get into it again?" He hoped not because then chances are it would be like they were back at scratch. He had noticed that Yuugi was one to retreat quickly when things got nasty. He was sure that once he was not a walking corpse that this would change. That they would have the fiery youth they had grown to know before this all happened.

"Would you willing share your body with Yuugi? My first response was no before I caught myself." Yami frowned. "I don't know why I don't want to. I just don't."

"I would do it for either of you. Even all at once. Although I would prefer that at least one of you two had a body because fucking a blow up doll isn't my thing. Neither is having to have a good fuck in my head like a day dream." Seto realized what he had just said. He mentally laughed. If this had been a year ago he would committed himself.

"You would?" Yami asked. He was not going to touch the later of Seto's admission. He was trying to keep the conversation serious. "Why?"

"I would rather share my body than loose either of you."

Yami simply nodded his head.


	13. I'm Worn Out

**(Gift fic for DragonLady222.  
><strong>

**Main characters are Yuugi, Yami, and Seto.  
>Main 'ship': Prideshipping (Yami x Seto)<br>Hints of: Puzzleshipping (Yami x Yuugi). Rivalshipping (Seto x Yuugi).  
>Fic Goal: Flareshipping (Seto x Yami x Yuugi).<strong>

****A simple reminder- Yuugi is Mr. Howell and his aliases first name is never mentioned.****

**Enjoy. :D Please read and review.**

**Thank you everyone for reviewing and supporting this fic! *hugs*)**

* * *

><p>"Why do you insist on working? Isn't there something, anything else you would rather be doing?" Yami could not wrap his mind around why anyone would want to work themselves to death, literally. He was under the assumption that most who knew they were going to die tried to make the most of the last moments.<p>

"Not that is doable," Yuugi said as he saved what he was working on. "Let me remind you- the more I do, the more time Seto has with you." He rolled his eyes when he realized what he had said and how one of the house nymphs could interpret it, "You know what I mean."

"I think we are wearing off on you," Yami tried to stifle his laugh; however, he could not keep himself from smirking. "I guess you're right though. I'm sorry. I really do appreciate what you do for us."

Yuugi nodded his head, "I told Seto I would try so I'm trying." He closed the lid of his laptop. "Speaking of Seto he should be home in just a few minutes. You know what I don't understand?"

"What?"

"We all know why I can't go and pick him up but you have no reason. Why haven't you been going lately?" Yuugi ran his fingers through his hair before stretching. He had been sitting for a while. "I don't need a sitter," he added as an afterthought.

"Because like you just said, Seto wanted me to try so I'm trying. Although, with you working all the time I don't feel like we're making much progress at all."

"I told you I'm content if I were to-" Yuugi was about to finish the sentence when Yami covered his mouth.

"Don't say it," Yami warned.

Yuugi rolled his eyes as he pulled Yami's hand from his mouth. "How about we go downstairs and get dinner started so it will be ready when Seto comes home." What he actually wanted to do was nibble as he cooked. He was hungrier than usual.

"You know we have hired help for that."

"Are you afraid of getting your hands dirty?" Yuugi teased.

"It's not that, I just don't know how to make anything but sandwiches."

"Don't forget that you know how to pour cereal out of the box," Yuugi smirked. "Seriously though it isn't that hard. I'll teach you. After all we wouldn't want you to starve if no one was around."

"Do you think that Seto knows how to cook?"

"Having never seen him do more than what you know how to do, I would guess 'no'." He grabbed Yami's hand and led him out of the room. They were not going to get anything close to done standing around in the office- unless they ordered takeout or gave in and let the hired help cook for them.

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><p>Yuugi was exhausted by the time he was setting the dish containing lasagna down on the table. He really hadn't meant to put that much time and effort into making lasagna and garlic bread. He ran the back his arm across his forehead and then took an extended amount of time stretching.<p>

When it came to cooking, Yami didn't feel like he had learned much. Yuugi had pretty much just taken over. He watched as Yuugi went about setting the table. He noted that Yuugi was just as fickle about place settings as the hired help and Seto. For a brief moment, he wondered if this was Yuugi's way of doing things or if he was doing it to make Seto happy.

"Something smells really good," Seto said as he came into the dining room. He stopped short of the table and noticed that it was Yuugi putting things together. He glanced over at Yami and whispered when he came closer, "doesn't he realize we have hired help for this."

"Yes, but he wanted to do the cooking," Yami whispered back.

All formality out the window, once the last piece of silverware was placed Yuugi plopped into the nearest chair. He felt like he could fall asleep right then. All the cooking had tired him out to the point he wasn't hungry. Nevertheless, it wasn't like he hadn't ate, he had nibbled as he cooked.

Yami and Seto both sat down in their normal seats.

"Thank you Yuugi for taking the time to make dinner," Seto said as he reached for the specula. He glanced out of the corner of his eye and noticed that Yuugi was barely awake.

"Welcome," Yuugi mumbled and slouched a bit in the chair. "But I cannot take all the credit. Yami helped."

"Not really. He just talked me through it as he cooked."

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><p>Yami cringed when Seto started up the stairs and Yuugi's feet grazed the rail of the stairs. "Easy with him!"<p>

Yami's scolding words caused him to miss a step. He managed a quickly and fairly decent recovery. "Help out or shut up," Seto mumbled. "He's not exactly light as a pillow."

"Neither am I and you've a done a better job carrying me up the stairs."

"He's dead weight," Seto grumbled. He was happy they were finally at the top of the stairs.

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><p>"Yuugi isn't looking good at all," Yami sighed. He helped Seto strip Yuugi down and get him tucked into bed. "I feel like I failed him."<p>

"After we finish up here I am going to make a phone call. I am going to have mine and Mr. Howell's schedules rearranged. We will be taking the rest of the week off." Seto emptied the pockets and then folded Yuugi's clothes before putting them into the dirty clothes hamper.

"I wonder when it got so bad?"

"I don't think it has ever been good. I think we have just been refusing to admit it to ourselves that we might lose him." Seto sat down on the edge of the bed. It was evident that he was about in tears. Despite the rocky start, he had grown to love Yuugi as much as Yami.

Yami put a hand on Seto's knee. "I love him. I don't want to lose him." Past that he was at a loss for words.


	14. I Hid The Truth

**(Gift fic for DragonLady222.  
><strong>

**Main characters are Yuugi, Yami, and Seto.  
>Main 'ship': Prideshipping (Yami x Seto)<br>Hints of: Puzzleshipping (Yami x Yuugi). Rivalshipping (Seto x Yuugi).  
>Fic Goal: Flareshipping (Seto x Yami x Yuugi).<strong>

****A simple reminder- Yuugi is Mr. Howell and his aliases first name is never mentioned.****

**I apologize in advance for this chapter being not only short but also being a cliff hanger. **

**Enjoy. Please read and review.**

**Thank you everyone for reviewing and supporting this fic! *hugs*)**

* * *

><p>It had been a little over twenty-four hours since Yuugi had fallen asleep at the table. Neither Yami nor Seto had left his side for long periods of time. They had even taken up the habit of eating in the room and taking naps in chairs at Yuugi's bedside. The hired help was tight lipped when they came in the room; they did what they had to as quickly as possible and left.<p>

"As long as he's been out of it shouldn't we call for a doctor?" Yami was at a total loss. He got up from the bedside and walked over to the window. "You know so at least he's getting food and water."

"No," Seto frowned. "I don't think it would be wise to do so. After all, how do we tell them how our friend here got into this state? Furthermore if they did buy our story do you really want to hear that constant beep from the monitors?"

"They'd probably tune out half the story and throw up in the loony bin before we could even call your brother," Yami sighed. "And, no I don't want to hear the sound of those machines. That sound is worse than the ticking of a clock."

Seto got up and walked over to Yami. He rubbed his lover's shoulders.

Yami looked over his shoulder and into Seto's eyes. "Why are they trying to take him before the games end?" Knowing that Yuugi most likely would not wake up caused a sinking feeling in his stomach. Tears were collecting in his eyes. He was trying to cry because he knew that Yuugi just wanted him to be happy.

"Do they ever play fairly?"

"I've never known them not to," Yami frowned. Suddenly his eyes went large, "What day did we fight the duel?" He was beginning to wonder if Yuugi had purposely written the date incorrectly on the calendar. He really did not want to believe it.

Seto's expression was one of deep thought. He really should have been able to pull the answer right off the top of his head but at this particular moment the date had escaped from his memory. "I'm not sure. Why?"

"Do you think Yuugi has been telling us the incorrect date?"

Something clicked within Seto's thought process. Knowing how much Yuugi did not want them to suffer he could see the other doing something like this. He headed towards the desk where he knew Yuugi kept his personal calendar.

Yami did not need to be told to know that Seto had taken the idea to heart. He watched as his lover searched through the contents of the desk.

"He's like me," Seto grumbled. "So fucking organized that your disorganized."

"No it's more like you're just super worried someone is going to look at your super secret crap so you hide it in plain sight. Then because it is in the most common place not even you think to look for it there because you are too busy looking in the less thought of places."

Seto looked up, his eyes narrowed. "Alright mister no it all," he made a hand motion towards the desk, "you find it." He crossed his arms over his chest.

Yami knew that Seto was not mad, just frustrated. "Okay," he said as he walked over to the desk. He looked at it for a moment and then picked up the calendar. It had been half under the laptop.

Seto could have smacked himself. "Don't say it!"

Yami smirked. He knew that the smirk said that phrase 'I told you so'.

Seto stepped around so that they could both have a look at the planner that was about notebook sized.

They were both about on the page when it felt as if cold water had been dumped on them. They both turned around and noticed that Yuugi was no longer breathing. They exchanged a look and before they ran over to him, they looked at the calendar.

"I wanted to be wrong," Yami managed to say.


	15. I'm Alive

**(Gift fic for DragonLady222.  
><strong>

**Main characters are Yuugi, Yami, and Seto.  
>Main 'ship': Prideshipping (Yami x Seto)<br>Hints of: Puzzleshipping (Yami x Yuugi). Rivalshipping (Seto x Yuugi).  
>Fic Goal: Flareshipping (Seto x Yami x Yuugi).<strong>

****A simple reminder- Yuugi is Mr. Howell and his aliases first name is never mentioned.****

**I won't say the story is complete just yet. Maybe another chapter or two. **

**Enjoy. Please read and review.**

**Thank you everyone for reviewing and supporting this fic! *hugs*)**

* * *

><p>"We've got to do something," Yami exclaimed as he motioned towards the lifeless figure on the bed.<p>

"Like what?" Seto crossed his arms over his chest as he waited for an answer. "CPR-," he answered his own question when Yami did not. He knew it would not work but for the sake of Yami he had to suggest something.

"Even I know that won't work," Yami frowned. "Maybe we can do that fairytale thing."

"Oh come on Yami don't tell me you're suggesting 'true loves first kiss'." Seto could deal with romance but the sappy fake bullshit he could not. Just the thought of this made him want to puke.

"It wouldn't be a first kiss," Yami mumbled. "And, I only thought of it because it is the least likely thing they would expect us to do."

Seto threw up his hands exasperated. He did not care if the point was valid or not, it was still stupid. "Just do it."

"Why me? You love him just as much as me?"

Seto really wanted to smack his lover upside the head at this moment but opted not to. The current situation was bad enough. "Because this game he lost to is just as much your game. I'm not a part of it."

Yami gave a look of 'oh'. He had not thought of it being just their game. "Whether you realize it or not you are just as much a part of it now," Yami said as he kneeled beside the bed. "You did it to yourself."

Now Seto wanted to smack himself. "Just kiss him dammit," he growled.

Yami nodded his head as he leaned forward to kiss Yuugi's lips. He waited for a couple of seconds before sitting up. "Nothing," he sighed. "Maybe you need to do it too?"

Seto had the I told you so face for a few brief seconds before Yami made his suggestion. "This is ridiculous." Despite what he said, he too kissed Yuugi.

They both held their breath and hoped. Sadly, nothing happened.

"Now what?" Yami's voice cracked mid question.

Seto was a logical type of person. This situation was far from logical. "I don't know," Seto said, feeling defeated. He really did not want to have to call the police or the hospitals. How would they explain this? Perhaps by some divine intervention it would show up as a heart attack. Frustrated, he ran his fingers through his hair.

Yami and Seto both at a loss for words stared at one another silently. They occasionally glanced down at Yuugi.

"Did you see that?" Yami asked as he glanced down at Yuugi again. He wanted to make sure he actually saw what he thought he saw.

"No. What did you see?" Seto asked as he stared intently at the body. He did not know what he expected. It was not as if a dead body could do flips or any sort of tricks.

"That," Yami said as he pointed to Yuugi's eyes.

That time Seto saw it. He put his hand on Yuugi's chest and waited for him to take a breath to confirm that he was indeed alive.

The silence in the room was suddenly broken as Yuugi's gasped for air.

Feeling as though he had drowned Yuugi coughed a couple of times before trying to catch his breath. He felt dizzy and everything was out of focus. He rubbed the back of his hand across his eyes.

Seto ripped the pillow from under Yuugi's head and smacked him with it. "Asshole," he growled. He was not sure to feel angry or relieved.

"Hey!" Yuugi crossed his arms over his face. "What was that for?"

"You know what it was for, you, you, you big idiot," Yami growled as he snatched the pillow from Seto and did the same. "You had us worried senseless." He wanted to keep smacking him with it but did not. Instead, he broke down and cried.

Yuugi propped himself up with his elbows. "What do you want? An apology?"

"That's a start." Seto came around to the side of the bed Yami was on and rubbed his back. He made soft shushing noises.

Yuugi did not feel the need to apologize so he did not. He all together skipped the fact of Seto agreeing to it. "You two look like you've just attended someone's funeral."

"We might as well have." Yami said as he tried his best to catch his breath.

"I'm here now." Yuugi felt a bit guilty but did express his feelings.

Seto rolled his eyes, "is it permanent?" He could not help to ask. He refused to e happy until he was sure that Yuugi was not going to die on them again.

"As permanent as an average human's lifespan."

"I told you, you aren't average." Seto smirked. He really wanted to ask questions but decided that he would save it for another day.

Yuugi would have shrugged but he found himself immobile as both Seto and Yami hugged him tight. "Don't squeeze the life out of me," he laughed.

They all laughed. It had not been that long since they laughed. However, at this moment, it had felt like forever. It felt good to laugh.


End file.
